Big plans, little kitchen? I get it. As I entered my 600-square-foot apartment which was built with only a few edges to call a kitchen and stared at the shoebox-sized kitchen, I wondered how on earth would I achieve the cozy vintage feel that I had been yearning to turn into reality.
As it turns out small room and old fashioned designs are like milk and cream. It is just that you should know what tricks do work (and which ones should just be avoided like the plague take it from me, I tried it all). There is a vintage wish to turn your small kitchen into a place that is not tiny but it also does not cramp? Magic, magic!
Why Small Kitchens Love Vintage Style
This is one of the secrets that no one shares, old school design guidelines were designed specifically around small spaces. The vintage items by their very nature are maximizing both utility and beauty as back in time, most home kitchens were small.
Consider this, what makes farmhouse sinks, open shelving, and smaller appliances, so right in small spaces? Since they were not developed to make it into Instagram likes.
Vintage Style Benefits for Small Kitchens:
- Multi-functional pieces that serve double duty
- Light colors that make spaces feel larger
- Vertical storage solutions that draw the eye up
- Quality over quantity approach to decor
1. Choose Light Vintage Colors That Expand Space
Out of the mind vintage moody colors pinned everywhere. Gives your small kitchens will be a secret weapon in using light vintage shades to make it twice as big as it really is.
I painted creamy white with my cabinets being soft sage green. The result? My kitchen no longer felt like a closet, it really had some breathing room. Look what paint can do!
Best Small-Space Vintage Colors:
- Soft sage or mint green for cabinets
- Creamy whites for walls and trim
- Pale butter yellow for accent pieces
- Light gray-blue for a coastal vintage feel
Pro tip: Reserving the darker vintage shades to smaller parts of decoration such as hardware or even dish towels. The large surfaces are what you want reflecting the light, not the absorption of the light.
2. Maximize Vertical Storage with Vintage Flair
When you cannot extend outwards you go up and nothing gives you a better reason to do it with elegance as vintage does. I put up floor-to-ceiling open shelving made of reclaimed wood, and instantly found I now had storage I never knew I had.
The key here is: it has to look like you are storing stuff in an organized way, rather than like you are frantically jamming everything in wherever it fits (even though, to be fair, that is precisely what you are doing :/).
Smart Vertical Storage Ideas:
- Ceiling-height open shelves for dishes and decor
- Magnetic spice racks on the side of your fridge
- Vintage ladder repurposed as a pot rack
- Wall-mounted mason jar storage
| Storage Type | Space Saved | Vintage Appeal |
|---|---|---|
| Open Shelving | High | High |
| Closed Cabinets | Medium | Medium |
3. Install a Vintage-Style Peninsula Instead of an Island
Kitchen islands can make a magazine drool but we are not living in a magazine, most small kitchens can not hold a kitchen island without becoming an obstacle course. As I have stubbed my toe on my “cozy breakfast bar” the hundredth time, I have learned this lesson the hard way.
Counters in peninsula provide a lot of additional counter and storage without disrupting the flow. I made mine out of butcher block and old style brackets, its now the center piece to my kitchen!
Peninsula Advantages:
- Doesn’t block traffic flow like islands do
- Creates natural breakfast bar seating
- Adds storage underneath
- Feels more open than full islands
4. Use Compact Vintage-Inspired Appliances
Contemporary appliances have the potential to completely kill your retro appeal, when they are placed in small rooms where they take up all the room. I changed my huge stainless steel fridge into a retro compact model that was mint green and the difference was amazing.
The trick is to pick the appliances that fit in your environment and not the ones that crowd your environment. The smaller vintage-styled appliances, as a matter of fact, suit the small kitchens better, they are at scale.
Best Compact Vintage Appliances:
- Retro refrigerators (7-10 cubic feet is plenty for most people)
- Compact slide-in ranges with vintage styling
- Under-counter microwaves to free up counter space
- Vintage-style small appliances like stand mixers and toasters
5. Create a Coffee Station in Dead Space
There is always that weird corner or dead spot in every small kitchen that you just never know what to do with. I made mine a retro coffee corner, and it is my favorite place in the apartment of all.
You don’t even need a lot of space – just as much to fit a coffee maker, a few mugs and some vintage coffee and sugar canisters. It sets up a focal point, and makes your tiny kitchen feel more thoughtful.
Coffee Station Essentials:
- Vintage coffee maker or French press
- Mason jars for coffee bean storage
- Small wooden tray to contain the mess
- Vintage mugs displayed on hooks or shelves
The best part of having a coffee station is it does something practical, yet it brings huge vintage class. Also, people naturally flock around it and relieve the stress in the other parts of your small living space.
6. Choose Multi-Functional Vintage Furniture
Everything in the small kitchen must be able to pay its own way. I picked up a fabulous old butcher block cart at an estate sale and it has served as my prep area, additional storage and dining table all rolled into one.
Find things that can do double (or triple) service. Along comes that vintage farmhouse table? Its also your additional counter space and storage underneath. Those old stools? And they slide all the way under the counter when not in use.
Multi-Functional Vintage Pieces:
- Butcher block carts with storage underneath
- Vintage stools that store under counters
- Farmhouse tables that serve as prep areas
- Vintage cabinets repurposed as kitchen islands
7. Use Mirrors and Glass to Reflect Light
This may come out as strange but the vintage mirrors can make your small kitchen appear a lot bigger. I have a vintage mirror opposite my window and a beautiful ornate vintage mirror which physically doubled the amount of natural light in the area.
Glass-door cabinets have the same effect. The vintage-style glass in front of them breaks up a closed-in feel replacing solid-front cabinet doors.
Light-Reflecting Vintage Elements:
- Antique mirrors positioned opposite windows
- Glass-front cabinet doors for upper cabinets
- Vintage glass canisters that catch and reflect light
- Mercury glass accessories for subtle sparkle
Reality check: those glass-front cabinets will have to stay tidy, but really, it makes you consider more carefully what goes into them- which is ideal in small spaces to begin with.
8. Embrace Vintage Organization Systems
Smart organization of the kitchen was everything with vintage kitchens since people could not afford to waste available space. I used a few of the old-style storage tips I learned, and they are more effective than any newer organization method that I have experienced.
Just picture the spice racks attached to the inside of the cabinet doors, the old canisters that are so nice to stack and the wonderful dish drying racks that used to fold up against the wall.
Vintage Organization Winners:
- Door-mounted spice racks with vintage glass jars
- Stackable vintage canisters for dry goods
- Wall-mounted dish racks that fold away
- Vintage breadboxes that hide countertop clutter
The greatest thing is? Seemingly deliberate decor is the appearance of these organizational systems, rather than frantic efforts to organize the commotion of small-space living.
Making It All Work Together
It does not take the knowledge to design a small space in vintage style by jamming as many vintage features as possible. It is basically the selection of the pieces that will fulfill many purposes yet still form one breathing space.
Begin by starting with what you can touch and feel, your largest impact pieces, paint, lighting and one significant piece of furniture. And slowly patch away until you ask yourself whenever you do this: does it make my kitchen look small or large? Skip, no matter how cute, the answer is narrower.
Small Space Design Rules:
- Light colors always win over dark ones
- Vertical storage beats horizontal every time
- Multi-functional pieces earn their space
- Less is more – especially in vintage style
Your Small Vintage Kitchen Transformation
The facts are in here, and they are as follows: you do not have to have a huge kitchen in order to recreate the vintage vibe you are desiring. Some of the most adorable kitchens that I have ever witnessed are some small spaces that make use of every square inch beautifully with details on vintage.
The trick is to work with what you are going against in your space. Enter the comfy and rejoice in the functionality and keep in mind the retro design is all about comforting and warm dwelling that would not look glimpsed and vast but would look lived in and affectionate.
Begin with whatever it is that gets you the most excited, whether it is working on painting those cabinets or finally getting that coffee spot that you have been envisioning all of this time. The little things do make big differences and before you realize it, your small kitchen will be the talk of how it appears welcoming.
The limitation is that you have a small space; the advantage is it will enable you to do something very special. Well then, out there you go and turn that small kitchen vintage! 🙂